


By your Side

by scully_mulder_stories



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Dana Scully, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2019-12-07 17:11:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18237845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scully_mulder_stories/pseuds/scully_mulder_stories
Summary: While working on a case, Scully gets so bad injured that she ends up in the hospital. Her life is going to change completely and Mulder doesn't want to leave her side. He wants to help her wherever he can and also realizes how much Scully really means to him.





	1. Chapter 1

"The suspect is in there, he didn't leave the house for about half an hour. We saw his shadow behind the left window, apparently he's walking up and down."

A FBI team, hidden in the shadows of the night, was informing Mulder and Scully about the current situation as the two of them arrived. Listening attentively, they put on their safety vests and checked their guns before clarifying the plan once again.

Then it started. One part of the team made its way to the back door, Mulder and Scully went together with the others to the front door, carefully not to raise any attention by the man inside the house or possible neighbours.

Sharing a last look with Scully, Mulder nodded and meant one of his men to kick in the door. Then everything went fast, very fast. They runned into the house, surprised their target, saw the money on the table and parts of it on the floor, the gun right next to it.

"FBI! Hands up where we can see them!"

Before the man could even reach for his weapon, he got overwhelmed by the agents. It happened fast and without the actually expected trouble. Only the screams and insults the man spilled out between his yellow teeth were annoying.

"I'm gonna check upstairs", Scully said to Mulder who agreed and mentioned one of his colleagues to stay with her.

Together they took the stairs to look if anyone else was in the house as well. Actually they were sure that he was all alone at home but you never know for sure, right?

They checked the rooms, one after another but they were all empty. While her colleague was checking the second bathroom, Scully took a look into the room right next to the stairs. At first ot seemed to be empty, nobody was in there but all of a sudden, a shadow of a person attracted Scully's attention. Hidden behind the cupboard she saw it as it was already too late.

The person, a mittle aged man, rushed towards her with a knife in his hand.

Scully gasped, stumbled backwards, ready to use her gun as she suddenly lost the ground under her foot. The stairs! She tried to grab the railing but she was already falling. Her back hit the stairs, pain stabbed into her spine, her head hit against the wall and she tried to protect her face with her hands as she rolled down the stairs, uncontrolled and way too fast.

"Scully!!"

She heard Mulder's voice, like if he was separated from her by a wall of glass. He sounded so far away.

"Scully, stay awake!! Call an ambulance for God's sake!", she heard him yelling as he knelt down next to her.

She tried to say something, but breathing in made her feel the pain in her back even more than before. Tears blurred her view. She gasped for air, tried to move but it was impossible. Her body felt numb but also painful, something warm was streaming down her forehead and there was a pulsating pain in her left arm. And her back. Scully felt how she lost consciousness but she wanted to fight against it.

_Mulder is right, I have to stay awake. I have to...have to..._

* * *

Time is a curious thing. A minute can last only for a blink of an eye but can seem to last an eternity as well. It all depends on your situation. When you enjoy what you're doing while the time passes, it seems like a minute equals a second. However, when you are waiting desperately for something, something you can't stop thinking about, then a minute seems to equal an hour. That's why waiting seems to destroy you, sometimes even kill you  . . . 

A few hours later:  
  
Mulder was sitting next to her. He looked at her, how she was laying there, covered with the white blanket. She was still sleeping, her body needed to rest, to prepare for the news she would get to know when she was awake.  
How innocent and peacefully Scully was laying there in the hospital bed, not knowing how her life was going to change.  
  
He buried his face in his hands and suppressed the urge to cry. Yes, he wanted to cry. He felt helpless and somehow responsible for what happened even though he couldn't know that there was someone else in the house who would push Scully down the stairs...but...she worked with him now for about four years.  
  
How often had they already sat at each others hospital bed? Couldn't there be an end of this?  
  
With a sigh Mulder stood up and went to the window, trying to distract himself but that obviously didn't work at all. Just as he decided that some fresh air outside - even for at least five minutes - would make him feel a little bit better, he heard a scratchy voice behind him.  
  
"Ouch", said Scully as Mulder just turned around to her.  
  
"Hey, Scully."  
  
His voice was shy and unsure but he stepped to her bed, placing his hand on her right arm that wasn't bandaged and sat down on the chair again. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like I fell down some giant stairs", she answered and made a painful face. "But the last time I had a headache like this was in my teens..."  
  
Mulder knew that she was trying to cheer the situation up a little, but he couldn't shake this feeling off. This knowledge about her condition, about her body.  
  
"Could you ... could you give me a glass of water please?", she asked quietly and he could hear that she was still waking up. She wasn't ready yet for any serious information.  
  
He filled the glass with water and wanted to give it to her but as he turned around, he saw her facial expression which scared him somehow. Still holding the glass of water in his hand, he just looked at her, trying to figure out what her face seemed to think, seemed to say.  
  
"Scully-?"  
  
"Uhm, maybe I'm just ... well, I ... ", she tried to sit up a little but failed helplessly.  
  
"Mulder, why can't I move my legs?"

He didn't know how to start. That was not how he wanted to tell her about her injuries. Deep down he actually wished Scully would get to know it from someone else. He wished the doctor would tell it to her.  
  
"Mulder??", she kept asking, the fear in her voice was clear to hear, but Mulder absolutely didn't know how to start.  
  
"As you fell down the stairs...you hit your head and broke your left arm and...", he stopped. He didn't want to put the rest into words and so he just looked down.  
  
"And what, Mulder? My head and my arm have certainly nothing to do with my..."  
  
Her voice broke as well. Tears where filling her eyes and she tried to stay calm. She tried - but failed. Her breath got faster and she kept staring at Mulder, begging for an answer.  
  
"...and your spine...", was all he was able to say and looked up to her again.  
  
Scully gasped and nodded. She tried to handle it as a fact even though she didn't really know the facts. Covering her mouth with her hand, she suppressed the tears and looked to the window. As if the world outside would give her the answers she needed.  
  
Just in this moment, somebody knocked at the door and a woman - probably in her fifties - entered the room. Mulder recognized her as the doctor he spoke to a few hours ago.  
  
"Ah, Agent Scully. How good to see you awake", she said with a friendly smile and stayed standing next to the bed.  
  
Seeing Scully's terrified face, she looked from her to Mulder who nodded a little bit and she understood.  
  
"Well, Agent Scully", the doctor started again, "I have bad but also good news for you. I assume you already got to know the bad ones..."  
  
"My legs", Scully whispered in tears and nodded once again.  
  
"Yes, since I know you are a medical doctor yourself, I'm sure you would like to get all the details", she said calmly, trying to focus on her job and got another nod from Scully.  
  
"We will talk about everything, but for now I don't want you to be scared. The good news are that you might be able to walk again. Of course, I can't promise you anything, but the chances aren't that bad for you."  
  
Hearing this - hearing that there was hope - made a tear finding it's way out of Scully's eyes and down her cheek. She wiped it away but Mulder already saw it. While the doctor sat down on the chair next to Scully's bed, explaining what happened and showing her Scully's patient file, Mulder didn't listen at all.  
  
He didn't understand a word and his thoughts were miles away. All he was thinking about was, how Scully would try to build an invisible wall around herself, pretending to be strong while he would stay by her side, come what may.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day:  
  
Scully got told that she was allowed to go home in a few days. Most of the time she spent staring through the window, asking herself what she would be doing all day.  
Wondering how she would have to do everything differently from now on.  
  
Just as she wanted to close her eyes and sleep until this bad dream was over, somebody knocked at the door. She sighed, she wanted to be alone but without waiting for an answer, Mulder looked though the door gap.  
  
"Hey, G-Woman."  
  
"Mulder..." Scully tried not to roll her eyes but also felt a little smile appearing on her face. Why did she always had to smile when she saw him?  
  
"How are you?", he asked, still standing by the door.  
  
"Good...I think. Mulder, why don't you just come in?"  
  
"Uhm, since you can leave this place here soon, I thought we could ... start to get used to this here", he explained and opened the door a little bit more so Scully could see what was standing outside.  
  
A wheelchair.  
  
Scully swallowed. She didn't like the idea of spending every day sitting in this wheelchair, feeling helpless and not being able to live her life like she did before.  
  
He rolled the wheelchair into the room and stopped next to the bed. Laying his head a bit aside, Mulder looked at Scully and waited for a reaction.  
  
"Mulder...no, I can't...I don't..."  
  
"Yes, Scully. Of course you can."  
  
She sighed again, knowing that he wouldn't give up on this until she agreed.  
  
"But, how? I can't even get out of bed-"  
  
Before she could finish her sentence, Mulder moved the blanket aside, wrapped his one arm around her shoulder and put his other one under her legs. So he took her on his arms, ready to put her carefully into the wheelchair.  
  
Surprised by it, Scully wrapped her arms around his neck as he raised her up and realized how close her face suddenly was to his. And for some reason it didn't even feel strange or awkward. His eyes were looking directly into hers, she could feel his breath on her lips and cheek.  
  
"Who said you can't get out of bed?", Mulder said quietly, smirking a little and turned around to the wheelchair where he let her down gently, making sure that she would sit comfortable and gave her the thin blanket he brought with from his home.

Scully covered her legs with the blanket, of course just to prevent herself from getting cold, but it somehow also felt better for her that she didn't see her useless legs anymore. She could hide them - at least for the moment.  
  
"And now?", she asked, knowing how stupid and helpless she must sound and already hating herself for asking.  
She couldn't push the wheelchair forward by herself - thanks to her bandaged arm - so that Mulder took that job. He pushed her slowly outside the room, down the corridor to the elevator.  
  
"And, how does it feel?"  
  
"I feel like a baby that can't decide by itself where it wants to go. Btw, where do we go?"  
  
"I thought some fresh air would be a good idea", Mulder explained as the doors opened and they got inside the elevator.

A nurse and two other people - probably friends or family of another patient - joined them and Scully couldn't shake this feeling off that they were looking at her. Being the smallest person in a room was something she got used to and started to accept, but it was different now. She was sitting, she appeared even smaller, just like a kid. And she didn't like that at all. She didn't want other people to see her like a fragile little child.

Still feeling the people's eyes in her back, the doors of the elevator finally opened and a few minutes later Scully felt the fresh air outside the hospital. She took a deep breath, enjoying the sun on her face and closing her eyes for a moment.

Mulder walked with her through the little park which was a part of the hospital and right next to it. Unfortunately, they didn't find a free bench where they could stay a little but Mulder just came up with another idea. He walked with her to a meadow and sat down right in front of Scully on the ground.  
  
"Mulder, what are you doing?"  
  
"Taking a little break, don't you start thinking you're the only one who can sit all day", he answered grinning and looked up to her.  
  
Scully knew that he was joking, but his words hurt her somehow and he noticed that.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't want-"  
  
"No, it's okay. You're right, I'm just gonna sit all day from now on."  
  
"But Scully, there's still hope. Give yourself time, don't give up and stay positive, okay? You're not alone", Mulder answered, placing a hand on her knee and looking her into the eye.  
  
She didn't answer but nodded a little, avoiding his eye contact. Mulder knew that she was just pretending to be okay, but he knew her better.  
  
"I'm gonna be your positivity then whenever you feel like you lost yours", he added and saw a little smile on her lips.  
  
Just in this moment, they heard someone calling them.  
  
"Dana?!"  
  
They turned their heads to see who it was. Scully swallowed. She felt tears filling her eyes, but she didn't want to cry now.  
  
"Hi, Mom", was all she could say as she stretched her hand out for her mother who just arrived by them and pulled her daughter into a hug.  
  
"I'm so sorry that I couldn't come earlier, so so sorry!", Maggie sobbed into Scully's hair and hold her tight.  
  
"It's okay, Mom."  
  
Maggie knelt down next to Mulder and placed her hand on his which was still laying on Scully's knees. She looked up to her daughter as well.  
  
"I'm gonna help you as much as I can and for as long as it will take you to ... recover. It will be all good, okay?", she tried just as Mulder to keep Scully hopeful but she also saw how her daughter fought with her emotions.  
  
"Thank you", whispered Scully and placed her hand on her mom's and Mulder's, trying to forbid her tears to flee her eyes and looking at Mulder.  
  
She looked at him. His face, his shining eyes, his little smile which was supposed to make her smile as well, his effort in making her feel better with the words which came over his lips just a few minutes ago. She looked at Mulder and couldn't order the thoughts which were suddenly running around in her head nor this feeling in her stomach.  
  
"Can we go back inside?", she asked and took off her eyes from Mulder, looking back to the hospital entry.  
  
"Sure", he agreed and got up before he helped Maggie to get up as well. Before she could start pushing the wheelchair again, Maggie hugged him and whispered "Thank you, Fox" in his ear.

* * *

A few days later it was time for Scully to leave the hospital. Finally she could go home.

"Ready?", Mulder asked as he came to pick her up.  
  
Scully's mother was already there to help her daughter packing everything and getting ready to go home. They agreed that Mulder would drive them.  
  
"Yeah", Scully said quietly, looking up to him. She still tried to get used to the fact that she was now sitting all the time and was even smaller than before.  
  
Mulder nodded and pushed Scully's wheelchair out of the room, down the corridor and to the elevator again. Maggie followed them with her daughter's bag. A short while later they arrived by the car and Scully started to worry.  
  
"But...how am I supposed to get into the car? And the wheelchair-?"  
  
"That's why you have a strong man like me", Mulder just answered, opened the car's door and took Scully on his arms again to help her getting safely on the backseat.  
  
Scully felt strange in this situation, like a child that was lifted up into the car because it was too small to climb inside by itself.  
  
"Watch your head", he said as he lifted her through the door and let her down in the car. He was very careful not to hurt her and Scully was grateful for that. She positioned her legs in front of her and wished she could actually feel them. Feel the shoes she was wearing, the jeans around her skin.  
  
Just as she wanted to ask for the wheelchair, she saw how Mulder fold it together so that it could easily be put into the trunk. Scully didn't even thought of that and felt stupid. She was a doctor. Of course she knew that wheelchairs could be folded together, so why the hell did she ask like a little kid how this damn thing was supposed to fit into the car?  
  
But Scully's thoughts were just everywhere except for the things right in front of her. She was thinking about the next hours, what would she do when she arrived home? What would she do today evening? How would she manage her daily life? What about work? What about the next day? What about everything that became more complicated because of sitting in a wheelchair?  
  
She tried to calm herself down, trying to convince herself that she was worrying too much. A lot of things would change, but she wanted to stay positive. She was able to handle all that and like the doctor said, there was a chance that she could walk again. But for some reasons it wasn't that easy to shake those thoughts and worries off. She felt as if she was losing control over her life, she felt empty, useless, not herself.  
  
Sitting there at her seat, the car's door was still open, she felt the slight cold wind on her cheek for a moment. Her mom sat down at the backseat next to her and so Scully just wanted to close her door, as Mulder suddenly stood there, looking and smiling at her.  
  
It was the kind of positivity she needed right in this moment. Somebody who saw everything positive instead of drowning in sorrows.  
  
"You okay?", he asked quietly and Scully just nodded but broke the eye contact again because shaking off the sorrows wasn't that easy after all.  
  
They didn't talk much on their way back home and for some reasons she couldn't explain, Scully's heartbeat faster with every minute they came closer to her home. She got overwhelmed by too many thoughts and her mother next to her noticed it.  
  
Maggie reached for her hand and pressed it tightly, trying to comfort her daughter that everything would be fine even though she worried just as her much she did.  
  
As they finally arrived at Scully's apartment, she already knew how she would get out of the car again. Mulder.  
He lifted her up again and carried her on his arms. Maggie was pushing the wheelchair.  
  
"Mulder, you can let me down now into the wheelchair."  
  
"Every other woman would enjoy it to be carried like a princess into her castle."  
  
"Only that this here is not a castle and I'm not a princess."  
  
"That's what you say", he just answered, still not letting her down.

Deep inside of her, Scully liked being in his arms, so she didn't need a reason to be close to him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she didn't say a word until they arrived at the door of her apartment. Maggie opened it with the key and Mulder stepped inside, walking to the sofa where he let Scully down. Before she could even think about what's happening, her and Mulder's face were suddenly very close to each other. Looking into his eyes, at his lips, she didn't know what to say.  
  
"...Thank you", she finally whispered, and felt how she blushed.  
  
"You're welcome."

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Dana, I'm going to make you something to eat now. Any wishes?", asked Maggie as she closed the door behind her.

Surprised by her mother's voice in the background, Scully looked over Mulder's shoulder and shook her head. "But thanks, Mom."

Maggie smiled a little and nodded before she went to the kitchen, letting Mulder and Scully sitting on the sofa.

"So, what can I do for you? Do you need anthing?", Mulder asked and expected an answer, ready to do whatever she would wish for.

But Scully didn't know what she could say. "Uhm, I don't think so. I ... I guess I have everything I need right now.", she answered, looking around.

"Alright, then ... then I think I'm gonna go? You can call me whenever you want, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you." She gave him a little smile, and touched his hand which was laying on the sofa close to hers. Then Mulder suddenly leaned forward and hugged Scully. Of course, she got surprised by this but was more than grateful for this simple action.

She put her arms around his back as well, feeling his hand on her head and his breath at her neck. For a moment she wished he wouldn't go, wouldn't leave her - even if it was just for today. She wished to find an excuse for him to stay with her, but since her Mom was already there, she thought it might be just too childish begging him to stay as well.

So Mulder loosened the embrace and kissed her head. Then he got up and said goodbye to Mrs. Scully before he left the apartment. And as the door closed behind him, Scully felt suddenly alone like never before.

"Since I know that you're probably not that hungry, I'm just cooking a soup for you, Dana", Scully heard her mother's voice from the kitchen. And she heard it even though her Mom tried to hide it. The break in het voice, the suppressed sob, the fear about her child.

Scully didn't have to think long about what to do. She pulled the wheelchair closer to the sofa and wished just in this moment that Mulder would be there to take her on his arms and help her into the wheelchair. But he wasn't so she had to do it by herself and after a little eternity (at least it felt like that for Scully) she was sitting in the wheelchair. Her forehead was a little sweaty and her arms hurt a little, but she was proud to have managed it by herself. She wasn't dependent on somebodys help, at least not in every moment of life.

She pushed the wheelchair around the sofa and stopped by the kitchen a few seconds later. There she saw her Mom, standing by the stove. She pressed a tissue against her nose and mouth to quiet her sobs.

"Mom?"

Maggie turned around, frightened by the sudden sound of her daughter's voice. As if there weren't already enough tears in her eyes, she started crying.

"Mom...", Scully said again, getting closer to her and hugged her around her waist to comfort her. She knew how she must feel, but she didn't want her to worry.

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm okay."

"I know", Maggie sobbed. "That's what you always say, Dana. But I'm not ... I'm not fine with seeing my daughter in a wheelchair."

* * *

 As the door closed behind him, Mulder suddenly felt cold. He wanted to go back inside, just to be with Scully, to help her with everything she needed. But he didn't want to annoy her with being around every second because he knew that she wanted to be capable of everything by herself. If she needed help, she would asked for it. At least he hoped so. Mulder knew how stubborn she could be.

If Mrs. Scully weren't there, he would have insisted on staying for sure. Mulder definitely didn't want Scully to be alone.

But now he walked down the hallway and left the house a short while later. The way back home seemed so much longer than ever.

The next day, as Scully and her Mom were sitting in the kitchen and having breakfast, somebody rang the door bell. Surprised they looked at each other.

"I go", Maggie said and got up.

While her Mom was walking to the door, Scully just sighed and was more than grateful to have her with her. She was helping her so much, cooking, getting ready for bed, helping her to get up again. She almost felt like a little kid and actually Scully didn't like that at all - but in this situation she had to accept it. And after all she had missed being surrounded by her mom and feeling the love of her mother every second.

"... talk to Agent Scully, please...", she heard a familiar voice from the door.

"Mom?", she asked as she already heard steps and suddenly saw Skinner walking into the kitchen.

"Sir, what, -?" Scully was confused.  
Why was he here? Then she suddenly saw Mulder behind him and the little smile on his face seemed to warm up the complete room.

"Good morning, Agent Scully", Skinner started. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to interrupt your breakfast."

"Oh, don't worry", Maggie said and started cleaning the table. She saw how the three looked at her and felt wrong in this situation.

"Uhm, I'm... I'm gonna make your bed, Dana", she said and left the kitchen to give them a moment to talk alone.

Skinner took the chair next to Scully but Mulder stayed standing at the door. He looked at Scully, asking with his eyes if she was okay and she just nodded a little before Skinner already started speaking.

"How are you, Agent Scully?", was the first thing he wanted to know as well.

"I'm fine so far, my mother is a great help", she answered, still wondering why her boss came over for a visit.

"I'm glad to hear that. But we have to talk about your working situation since you can't -"

"I can work!"

Skinner got interrupted by Scully and suppressed the urge so sigh. He knew that would come.

"Agent Scully, with all my respect but I can't let you work on cases like that", Skinner continued and Scully knew that she wouldn't win this.

Searching for help she looked to Mulder who avoided the eye contact and looked down.

"But I... I can't just stay at home. I need something to do or I'm going crazy!" Desperately she tried to find a suggestion on how to handle the situation at work but her head felt empty in this moment.

Then Mulder came a few steps closer and placed his hand on Skinner's shoulder. "What if she stays in the basement, doing some paper stuff? Just a few hours a day?", he suggested.

Scully just nodded as Skinner looked to her.

"And you wanna tell me you won't loose your mind in a basement, completely alone surrounded by nothing but files?", he asked skeptical, already knowing the answer.

"I just need something to do, no matter what."

Skinner nodded. "Alright then, you can start tomorrow but I won't let you completely alone. You're gonna call my secretary when you arrive at work and when you leave. And also when you need something, then I'm gonna send somebody downstairs to take a look at you."

"And I think I'm gonna be there once in a while as well, Sir", Mulder added. "Since it's my office, you know? So Scully won't be completely alone."

Mulder looked at her, smiling confidently but Scully still saw the worries he tried to hide.

"Alright, so see you tomorrow then", Skinner said and got up, saying bye to Mrs. Scully as she just entered the kitchen.

"I'm gonna pick you up for work tomorrow morning", Mulder said, stepping closer to Scully before he bent down to kiss her forehead. Then he followed Skinner outside and left Scully with a feeling she could hardly describe.

"Dana, are you sure you want to go back to work?"

"Mom..." Scully started but got interrupted.

"Of course I listened to what you were just talking about. I'm a mother and I'm worried about my daughter. And what is this between you and Fox?", Maggie asked and she couldn't hide how curious she was about the last point.

But Scully just rolled her eyes and started moving the wheelchair. She wanted to go to the living room. As her Mom wanted to help and push the wheelchair, she shook her head.

"I can do this alone", she said quietly but thankful and finally arrived in the living room where Maggie sat down on the sofa. Scully stayed sitting in the wheelchair right next to her. Avoiding eye contact.

"So?", Maggie asked again.

"Yes, I'm sure I wanna work. I can't just stay home all day."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Fox?"

Scully sighed. How should she gave her mother an explanation for something she didn't even understand herself. What was that between Mulder and her? Was there even something to ask about? She didn't know.

"I don't know what you mean", she just said and reached her hand out for a book laying on the table.

"Dana, I'm not stupid."

"I didn't say that!", she said and suddenly felt as if she had to defend herself. But why? Did her Mom actually started asking about a topic which felt somehow...private?

But why should it be private? She was working with Mulder, they are partners. That's just it.  
Or maybe not?

Scully looked up into her mother's eyes and tried not to seem annoyed but somehow she felt uncomfortable about her curiosity.

"We're partners, of course we care for each other."

"Well, I wouldn't expect my partner to kiss me."

"Mom, it was just a little... a little kiss on the forehead. Nothing else."

"Are you sure?", Maggie asked again, trying to hide the little smirk but it didn't work at all.

"Your eyes tell me something else, Dana", she added.

Now Scully did roll her eyes and put the book back on the table. She leaned back and stared to the window. Her thoughts were circling around, Mulder... her condition... Mulder... the kiss...

No, she wasn't sure. Not at all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soooo sorry that I need ages to update this story!!  
> I love y'all for your patience <3

The next morning Scully was waiting for Mulder to pick her up. Every few seconds she looked at the clock, knowing that it wouldn't make the time running faster anyway. 

"Darling, it's still about half an hour time until he's picking you up."

"I know", Scully answered quietly and avoided to look to her Mom. She knew there was no reason to stare at the clock the whole time but her eyes weren't following her rational thinking. Something of her wanted to turn a second into a minute, but why? Because she wanted to see Mulder? Scully wondered if that really could be the reason. But why was it so difficult for her to accept that? She didn't know. Sometimes her own feelings were a mystery to herself. 

Scully's mind didn't want to come to rest and an eternity later somebody rang the door bell. Maggie was quicker at the door than her daughter and opened it.

"Good Morning, Fox!"

"Good Morning, Mrs. Scully," he answered and entered the apartment. He saw Scully struggling a little with the wheelchair as she tried to move towards him. 

"Morning, Scully. Let me help you", he said immediately and Scully haven't had any time to react and say that she doesn't need help. He was already standing behind her, his hands at the wheelchair.

Scully whispered a quiet "Thanks" and her Mom bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead before they left the apartment.

"Take care of yourself!", was the last thing Maggie said before she closed the door. Scully answered it only with a little nod.

Both remained quiet while they went to the elevator and left the house a short while later. As they arrived at the car, Mulder couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"She's just worried about you, Scully. She's your Mom."

"I know, but I'm not a child anymore."

"But you're still her child, she will never stop worrying about you and pretending to be strong when you need help isn't the best way to get through all this."

Mulder's words hit her. He knew her so well, it was almost scary. Or was it really so evident to see that she tried to keep her head up even though it got heavier with every second?

"I know", Scully answered, but it was still not easy for her to admit that she was in need of help. She has always been an independent woman, so she didn't like the feeling of asking for help every moment of her day. 

Mulder knew that and he helped her in the car again without saying anything more. This time, Scully hold onto his arms probably longer than necessary but she didn't care. In this moment she wanted the help she got.

Isn't it curious how feelings can change from " _I don't need nor want help_ " to " _I like the help you offer me and I am grateful for it_ "?

* * *

As they arrived in their office a while later, Scully had to suppress the urge to cry. That would be her working place from now on, sitting behind a desk while Mulder was somewhere investigating a case. But no, she didn't want to cry. She shook her head, swallowed the feeling down and let Mulder push the wheelchair to the desk.

"You know what Scully... ", he started while walking to the chair behind the table, "...that's not how I wanted to get you a desk."

He took the chair and put it aside, so that Scully could sit behind the table.

"Well, it's better than no desk at all", she tried to joke and smiled.

Mulder grinned. "Let me at least clean it a little."

"Don't you dare! This is my work from now on, I need something to do, so I will do that."

"Okay okay, G-woman", answered Mulder, put his hands in the air and stepped back.

"Shut up", whispered Scully but Mulder could see a smile on her lips.

While looking over the mess on the desk, she saw an open file. "A new case?", she asked.

"Yes, and I actually promised to talk to the victim's husband today, so I... Uhm... I really have to go now..."

"That's okay, Mulder. Go and do your job, I'm okay here."

"Okay, remember to call Skinner when something's wrong. He's gonna be faster down here than I can be", Mulder answered and walked to the door. "But... You can call me, too."

"Yes...See you later, Mulder", Scully said and saw something in his eyes before he left the office.

He was worried about her. He didn't want to leave her alone in the basement office and he couldn't hide those feelings.

Scully sighed, looking over the desk and thinking about Mulder. What a mess! And why couldn't she concentrate on it? Her thoughts drifted off, to Mulder, the look in his eyes, the feeling of his arms holding her.

"Dana Scully, will you concentrate on your task?!", she said to herself and started sorting the papers. She tried not to look at the file of the new case because she knew she would wish to investigate it as well. Together with Mulder.

She found a bunch of pencils, an open package of sunflower seeds and a few empty coffee mugs. "Jesus Christ, did your Mom never teach you how to clean?", she whispered and rolled her eyes.

After a while she was finished and looked around the office. There was a cupboard which looked like it could need a makeover as well and since she had nothing else to do, she decided to clean as much as possible.

While sorting notes over notes, she found a little piece of paper. Her name and a list were written on it.

* * *

About an hour later, Mulder came back and stayed standing by the door. Surprised he looked around. "Wow, where am I?"

Scully didn't answer. She was sitting behind the desk, reading a book. She didn't even look up to him and Mulder felt that something was wrong.

"Scully? Is everything okay?", he asked, came closer and saw the empty sunflower seeds package on the desk. "But you know, you gotta buy me new ones now. I know it wasn't empty", he chuckled, but Scully still remained silent.

She closed the book, put it on the desk before she took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "Mulder, what is this?", she asked and showed him the list she found.

He didn't answer right away. His face told Scully, that she wasn't supposed to see what she found and for a second she was sure that he blushed a little.

"Oh well... Uhm... I wrote down a few things to... to cheer you up, in case you need it. Actually I didn't want you to find it, now it's not a surprise anymore but it's... I just collected some ideas of what we could do... Together... In our free time", he answered, scratched his head and smiled.

"That's... That's really cute, actually", Scully said and looked at the little note in her hand. "And, when did you want to tell me about your plans?", she asked and looked up to him. A little smile was circling around her lips now as well. 

"Well, instead of driving you back home after work, I just wanted to take you somewhere else."

He walked through the room and bent over the desk to look at the list in Scully's hand. Then he pointed at the third word written on it. A little bit nervously, he looked at Scully's face, waiting for a reaction. Anything that would tell him what she thought of it. And he didn't have to wait too long for it. 


End file.
